Ten
by invalid-reality
Summary: Post Chosen. All it took was one kiss to change everything...
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Rooftops had always been the one place where she found solace, where she would escape just to reflect, to remember, to lose herself in the quietness that she only found in those moments before dawn. She sighed softly as the sun began to rise over the horizon, chasing away the darkness of night.

Leaning back against the wall behind her, she closed her eyes, listening as the others in the house began to rise. It wasn't long before she could hear the light-hearted chatter coming from the kitchen and the smell of freshly brewed coffee made its way out of her open bedroom window.

Did they know what today was? Did anyone ever think about the day that changed the rest of their lives? Or had ten years been long enough to forget, to leave it in the past as if it wasn't significant anymore. Every year that passed, she never slept the night before, always remembering every detail of the battle on the Sunnydale Hellmouth as if it'd just happened and not ten long years ago. Was she the only one who thought of those things, who kept the past from disappearing completely?

Maybe it was just that they'd all been through so much in the last ten years, that looking that far in the past, remembering that time in their lives, seemed insignificant now. In ten years they had stopped eight different world-ending apocalypses—something that definitely wasn't any different than life in Sunnydale. In ten years they had all found themselves, figured out their lives. They each had experienced and lived through love, death, an ever-growing family, and it'd helped them all forge a bond with each other that grew stronger with every day, every year that passed.

She thought back to all those little events over the years, the ones that shaped and formed the future and the lives they all had now. In some ways, everyone was still the same, but in other ways they'd changed as they got older, certain priorities shifted and when it came to saving the world, it wasn't as important as it used to be.

She thought back to what made her make the decision on staying there with them, with the people she'd never quite fit in with when they were in Sunnydale, with the people she'd done so much harm to when the darkness had gripped at her soul. They had forgiven her and that was enough to make her stay, to want to make a life there, to finally have a home. A family.

"Faith?"

Turning her attention to the soft voice coming from her window, she smiled as Willow poked her head out. "Morning, Will."

"Morning," she said cheerfully and she held out a dark blue mug, the steam of the hot coffee rising slowly from the mug in the cool morning air. "Thought you'd might want some coffee."

"Thanks," Faith said as she took the mug and wrapped her hands around it, the warmth of the mug comforting to her cold hands.

Out of all of them, Faith had grown closest to Willow over the years. They had formed a strong bond, their friendship—although surprising—just made sense, it just worked, and they understood each other in ways the others couldn't. They'd both knew all too well what true darkness felt like, what it felt like to take another human life and how hard the road to redemption proved to be sometimes.

Willow disappeared from the window, leaving her alone with her thoughts again. She didn't mind. It's why she'd come out there in the first place. Even though her room provided her with the sanctuary she needed, there was just something more freeing about being out on the roof, watching the sunrise, listening to the world around her as a brand new day got under way. The rooftop was her true sanctuary and nobody seemed to understand why other than Willow.

Faith sat out there until she'd finished her coffee, just trying to clear her head, trying not to remember too much about the day all their lives had changed significantly. With a dismissive sigh, she slipped back inside, closing her bedroom window behind her. She smiled when she heard the telltale sound of scratching at her door and she opened it to let the overly affectionate golden retriever inside.

"Hey, Max," Faith greeted the excited two year old dog as he jumped up at her, tail wagging wildly. "You wanna go for a run, buddy?"

Max responded with an excited bark, tearing out of her room and downstairs to the front door. She laughed and she quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt. She grabbed her running shoes and made her way down the stairs to where the dog was waiting at the front door.

Max wasn't _her_ dog, he wasn't really just anyone's, he belonged to everyone in the house, but he'd taken to Faith more than the others. She'd always wanted a dog and she never thought, not even after a few years of being settled down in Cleveland, that she'd get one. Max had been a surprise to them all. It had been a stroke of luck that Faith had found him as a puppy, abandoned in the alleyway she was chasing a vamp down. The pup had been starving, barely clinging on to life and he was filthy. She couldn't leave him to die like that and something about his big brown eyes had captured her heart.

"Are you heading out?" Buffy asked as she came out of the den as Faith pulled on her running shoes. Faith simply just nodded and tied the laces quickly. "Feel like some company?"

"I'm taking Max with me."

"Oh, I see how it is," Buffy laughed, her tone teasing. "You'd prefer having a dog keep you company rather than me."

"Come with if ya want to," Faith smirked as she grabbed the leash off the hook on the wall by the front door. "Come here, buddy, come on," she called out to Max and he instantly came running towards her. "Good boy."

"Can you give me like five minutes to change?" Buffy asked, already hallway up the stairs. Before Faith could respond, she was already at the top of the stairs and headed straight into her bedroom.

"Looks like it ain't just gonna be you and me today, buddy."

Max tilted his head at her curiously. Normally when she went on a run in the mornings, she went alone with Max. Buffy rarely ever went running in the mornings anymore, usually choosing to sleep in instead. In fact, when she thought about it, it'd been at least two years since she'd gone running with Buffy alone, about the same amount of time they'd had Max.

Ten minutes later, they were finally out the door and jogging down the street towards the patch of forest that laid of at the edge of the neighborhood. Max kept tugging Faith along, anxious to be let off the leash and free to run down the winding trails in the woods. Their neighborhood was the definition of suburbia and even though they weren't quite in the city, they weren't out in the middle of nowhere either. It'd taken Faith a long time to get used to living there, out of the hustle of the city, but now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else but there.

Faith unhooked the leash from Max's collar at they reached the main trail. He didn't take off, instead he ran circles around her and Buffy as they stretched out and warmed up. Faith always pushed herself when she ran the trails, running hard and fast until it felt like her lungs were about to burst. When she and Buffy used to go running together, it'd been a game, a race to see who could run faster, harder, outwit the other and make it out of there first.

Taking the lead, Faith headed down the dirt path first, setting an easy pace as Buffy trailed behind her. Max ran at Faith's side just as he always did until he spotted a squirrel up the path and took off running after it.

"Max!" Faith yelled as she ran faster, trying to catch up to him as he cut off the path suddenly. She followed, groaning as she nearly tripped over a fallen tree. "Stupid dog."

Buffy ran past her and branched off to the left. Taking the unspoken cue, Faith branched off to the right and they ran harder, chasing the dog through the woods, dodging trees and the occasional boulder on the ground. After five minutes of chasing Max, Faith came to a stop, her heart racing, her lungs burning, her breath coming out in short, sharp gasps. Giving up just to rest for a minute, she sat down on a stump and put her head in her hands.

She lifted her head as she heard a few twigs snap near her and she couldn't help but laugh as Max strolled up to her and started licking her face, his tail wagging happily, completely oblivious to the fact that she and Buffy had tried to chase him down.

"You're a stupid dog, you know that?" Faith said as she ruffled his head and stood up from the stump slowly. "You chase another squirrel and this goes back on, you hear me?"

Showing him the leash she had tucked in her pocket, he sat down and lowered his head, a soft whine coming out of his mouth like he understood exactly what she'd just said.

"Come on, let's go catch up to B."

It didn't take her long to find Buffy and the sight of her made her burst out laughing. She had grass stains on her knees and back, twigs, dirt and leaves in her hair and it was obvious she'd fallen at some point. Buffy just glared at her as she pulled a twig from her hair.

"Don't."

"What?" Faith chuckled and she moved to pull a few leaves from Buffy's hair for her. "I'm just admiring the new look. You could totally pull it off. Snag a new hottie, run off, and get married."

"I wouldn't go that far," Buffy laughed and she brushed the dirt off from the front of her t-shirt. With a shake of her head, she sighed and tried to rid her hair of the small twigs and leaves.

"What'd ya trip over anyway?"

"My own two feet," Buffy muttered under her breath and she turned and started to walk towards the trail not far from where they stood. "Shut up, Faith."

Faith chuckled and followed, catching up to her quickly with Max trailing behind. After a few minutes, they were back on the trail and instead of running, they jogged at a slow pace, Max staying close to Faith. She didn't mind the change, taking their time jogging through the winding trails instead of pushing their bodies to the max and beyond.

"I gotta admit," Faith said through carefully timed breaths, "I missed this."

"It's been a while."

"Too long."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed and they glanced at each other, sharing a friendly smile before turning their attention back to the trail. "We should start doing this again every morning. I feel so out of shape lately, it's embarrassing really."

"Says the one who tripped over her own two feet."

Faith laughed as Buffy playfully swatted her shoulder, neither breaking the easy, steady pace they jogged to along the path. They kept it up for well over an hour and by the time they exited the forest, even Max looked tired. Faith took the leash out of her pocket and clipped it on his collar and they started the short walk back to the house.

"So, I've been thinking," Faith said as they walked down the sidewalk slowly, Max two feet ahead, sniffing everything he could around him. "Aside from running together every morning, you should train with me a few times a week. I'll whip ya back into shape in no time."

"I'd like that."

Faith grinned as they turned up the narrow path that led up to the front porch. "What do ya say after we get some breakfast, we head out to the garage and hit the weights?"

"Actually, can we start tomorrow?" Buffy asked, stopping just before they reached the front steps. "I kind of have a date tonight and I really don't want to be achy and sore."

"You have a date tonight, B?" Faith chuckled. "Wicked. Who is the lucky guy this time? Anyone I know?"

"Brian."

"Xander's buddy Brian?" Faith asked, her grin slipping away quickly. "You're going out on a date with _Brian_?"

"What's wrong with Brian?"

_The guy is a complete tool_, Faith thought, but she bit her tongue. "Nothing, B. Just didn't think he was your type, that's all."

Buffy sighed dejectedly as they climbed up the steps together, Max whining as he looked over at Faith, waiting for her to let him inside. She opened the door and followed the dog inside. She left the door open for Buffy and hung the leash back up on the hook on the wall. When Buffy walked inside a moment later, she looked distracted and Faith knew that wasn't a good sign.

Gritting her teeth, Faith bent over and untied her laces and kicked her shoes off, shoving them to the pile that was always a mess in front of the coat closet. Buffy didn't say a word as she removed her own running shoes and headed upstairs, likely to take a shower before eating breakfast with the rest of them. Faith wasn't going to get into it with her, not when she felt good, the endorphins still rushing through her body after spending the last hour and a half jogging out in the woods with Buffy and Max.

It was always the same when Buffy started dating some new guy, something she didn't do often anymore due to some of the disastrous boyfriends she'd had in the past. Faith _knew_ she'd be the one comforting Buffy when the guy ended things or just wanted sex with no strings attached. She knew she'd be the one trying to cheer Buffy up, trying to get her smiling and laughing again. She knew she'd be the one offering to hunt the jackass down and hurt him for hurting her. It wasn't that she hated being the one Buffy turned to, it was just that she hated seeing her go through it every single time she started dating some new jerk she thought was a good guy, sensible, and sweet. Every time there was a new guy, she'd hear the words "he's different", and every time she wanted to tell Buffy she couldn't be so sure of that until she got to know the guy.

This time it was different. They all knew Brian and had for quite a few years. During baseball season, Brian would come over to watch a game with Faith and Xander and they'd spend the afternoon drinking beer, shooting shit, joking around and yelling at the TV when Boston lost a game or a stupid call was made. Brian wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't _right_ for Buffy. Even though Faith got along with him just fine, tolerated him mostly, it was his cocky attitude and the way he spoke about some of the women he'd been with that made her uneasy. That was the side of the guy that Buffy didn't know. At least she didn't know that yet.

The smell of bacon being cooked in the kitchen lured Faith back there and she was all smiles as she walked in, her stomach growling as the smell of bacon filled her nostrils. Willow laughed, turning her attention away from the frying pan to look over at Faith as she hoisted herself up on the counter near her.

"Good run?"

"Sure. Best part was when the ground attacked Buffy," Faith chuckled and she snatched a piece of bacon cooling on the plate near her.

"The ground attacked Buffy?" Willow's eyes went wide. "That's…alarming."

"She tripped, Will."

"Over what?"

"Guess."

The two started laughing and Willow shook her head, turning her attention back to the bacon that was cooking. Faith's smile faltered as she sighed heavily and focused on the most delicious piece of bacon she'd had in a long time.

"What's your secret?" Faith asked through a mouthful of bacon, reaching for another only to have her hand slapped with the flipper. "Ow!"

"My secret?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow. "I grew up in a Jewish family, we never ate bacon. Tara taught me the best way to cook it is nice and slow, low heat. A lot of patience and a whole lot of flipping."

Faith clenched her jaw, her eyes panning over the room at Kennedy who was sitting at the kitchen table, ignoring their conversation as she normally did, her attention on the newspaper that was open in front of her. Tara was still a heavy subject for Willow and just the mention of her name usually got Kennedy worked up, angry for some reason or another that Willow was talking about her yet again.

"Hey, don't touch!" Willow snapped as she slapped Faith's hand with the flipper again before she could try and sneak another piece. "It's not for you, Faith."

"It's not?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "No, it's not. Now go take a shower. You're all sweaty and you stink."

Faith laughed as Willow pulled a face and she moved fast, snatching two pieces of bacon off the plate before she jumped down from the counter. She laughed as she retreated out of the kitchen quickly, shoving half a piece of bacon into her mouth before turning to blow Willow a kiss.

Max followed Faith up the stairs and into her room, sitting at the foot of her bed while she ate the second piece of bacon. He gave her a look and a small whine as she was about to pluck the last bit of the bacon into her mouth. She sighed and tossed it at him, wiping the grease off on her pants as she watched him hungrily eat it, licking his lips afterwards as he raised a paw, no doubt looking for more.

Laying face first down on her unmade bed, she sighed heavily, finally starting to feel the effects of not having slept in well over a day. Just going out for an hour an a half had taken her mind off all the thoughts that plagued her mind all night long. From where Max sat on the floor, he nudged her hand, his nose cold and wet and she turned her head to look at him. She was unable to fight the smile that crawled over her lips and she patted the bed next to her, allowing Max to jump up and lay with her.

"It's gonna be a long day, buddy," she sighed as she rolled to lay on her back. "What do ya say we sneak in a little nap, huh?"

All she got as an answer in return was Max nudging her arm before he made himself comfortable, completely curled up at her side.

It was definitely going to be a long day and an even longer night because she knew she'd wait up for Buffy, wait for her to get back from her date, wait to hear how well or how badly it'd gone, armed with a beer for herself and a glass of white wine for Buffy. It was just what she did, what she'd always done over the years. That's what friends were for.

* * *

The house was quiet and the only light she had on was the light above the stove. She nursed her second beer since she'd came home from patrol an hour earlier, trying hard not to watch the clock on the microwave. Buffy was still on her date with Brian and it was just past two in the morning. Faith took a swig of her beer, hoping to wash the bitter taste away that came whenever she just thought about Brian.

She pulled a wine glass off the rack as soon as she heard the car pull up in the driveway. She pulled out a fresh bottle of wine from the small wine fridge and searched through a drawer for the corkscrew. Max, who laid in his usual spot by the back door, lifted his head as the front door opened and he lowered it again as soon as the door clicked shut quietly.

Buffy entered the kitchen a minute later and she sighed out heavily, smiling a grateful smile as Faith poured her a glass of wine and slid it across the counter towards her. She knew from the look in Buffy's eyes that the date, although it lasted for hours, had not ended well. The instant she saw the tears build up in Buffy's eyes, she just reached out for her and wrapped her arms around her tight.

It killed her to see how heartbroken Buffy was, to feel the choked sobs as she tried to fight them back. Faith held her close, her hands stroking up and down her back, trying to calm her down. She inhaled sharply as Buffy wrapped her arms around her and she could smell cigarette smoke lingering in Buffy's hair.

"You want me to go find him and kick his ass, B?" Faith asked and she felt Buffy try not to laugh against her shoulder. "Cos I will, you know."

"I know."

"Jackass," Faith muttered softly and she let her arms drop as Buffy pulled away. "You okay?"

Buffy nodded as she reached for her glass of wine and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. Faith just watched her, leaning back against the counter as Buffy tentatively sipped her wine. She was unusually quiet which meant that whatever had happened on her date was right up there with the guy that ditched her halfway through dinner, leaving her to pay the bill.

"I thought he was different," Buffy sighed, her eyes trained on the wine glass as she tilts it slightly. "I don't know why, but I did. I thought maybe this time it'd be different, maybe this time it'd work out. What was I thinking?" Laughing bitterly, she took a few sips, avoiding looking at Faith at all costs. "God, what is wrong with me, Faith? Is there something wrong with me that makes it virtually impossible to find a decent man?"

"Fuck no, there ain't anything wrong with you, B," Faith said softly and Buffy looked over at her, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again. "What happened?"

Buffy took a deep breath and fidgeted with the cross necklace she always wore. "He took me to see this god-awful play because he knew the guy who wrote it. I swear, I could barely keep my eyes open. It was horrible," she said with a roll of her eyes and they both laughed. "We went out for dinner after it was finally over. He took me to Celli's because Xander told him how much I love the pasta there. Not to mention it's the only restaurant in Cleveland that has pears in brandy on their dessert menu."

Faith nodded, staying silent as she watched Buffy fight the inner turmoil she was going through. It cut through her sharper and harder than a razor-sharp knife seeing her like this. Taking a sip of her beer, she motioned for Buffy to continue. Despite how her night went and how distraught she was, Faith knew it helped talking about it. It always did.

"I thought we were having a good time. We _were_ having a good time. We were talking and laughing, just enjoying ourselves. We sat there for hours, picking away at our food. We even shared dessert," Buffy paused to take another sip of her wine and shook her head. "I should've known where the night was going and yet, I still let myself believe that maybe he was different, maybe I was reading the signs all wrong again."

Faith watched as Buffy took another sip of her wine, her hand that was fiddling with her necklace moved to rub the back of her neck. She placed her wine glass down on the counter and undid the top button of her shirt, sighing loudly as she picked her glass back up.

"He took me to the beach and we walked for a while. He took me down to where those big rocks are. You know the ones?" Buffy asked and Faith nodded. They'd killed a couple of Vahrall demons that night, both barely walking away with their lives. "He kissed me and one thing led to another and when I tried to get him to stop, he wouldn't."

Faith clenched her jaw tight, white-hot anger flashing throughout her. Still, she kept silent, the flurry of words she wanted to say held back, knowing it'd do more harm than good.

"He stopped…after I punched him," Buffy said after a moment and she laughed bitterly. "I think I broke his nose."

"Serves him right. He deserved it."

"I can't believe I thought he was different from all the others. I can't believe how stupid I am for thinking that he was," Buffy scoffed and downed the rest of her glass quickly. She grew silent, suddenly lost in the thoughts swarming in her head and she stared blankly at her empty glass until Faith gingerly took it from her and filled it up again. "Thanks."

"How'd ya get home?"

"I called a cab after I walked about six blocks," Buffy laughed bitterly. "I don't even feel bad for leaving him there like that."

"Ya shouldn't. He pulled a jackass move. Deserved a lot worse than being left stranded on the beach with a broken nose if you ask me."

Buffy shook her head, furiously wiping away the tears as they started to fall. Faith stepped in front of her and gently grabbed Buffy's hand, lowering it from her face as she stared into her eyes. With her other hand, she wiped away the last few tears and shook her head slowly.

"He ain't worth your tears, B."

"I know."

The sadness in Buffy's eyes really shoved the metaphorical knife deeper inside of Faith at that moment. That white-hot anger still flooded through her veins, like a drug she couldn't quite kick. The sadness in Buffy's eyes brought forth a flood of emotions, of feelings she always tried to ignore, tried to push back and forget they even existed.

_You're in love with her…_

That voice inside her head taunted her and she pushed it aside, moving back to leaned up against the counter again, her face a mask of indifference. It was too easy to hide behind that mask, to deny those feelings that tore her heart and soul open. She couldn't go there. Not with Buffy. Not with the years of friendship they had between them and the hurdles they had to get through to get to where they were now.

"You know what I just realized?" Buffy asked and Faith blinked, her thoughts having paralyzed her, suspended her in the moment. "It's been ten years."

Laughing, Faith raised her bottle of beer, clinking it against Buffy's wine glass. "Ten years, B. What a ride it's been, huh?"

"And it's not over yet, is it?" Buffy laughed, raising her glass to her lips as she smiled that Buffy smile at Faith that never failed to make her melt. "Here's to ten more years."

"And a lifetime more," Faith grinned, clinking the bottle against Buffy's glass once again, downing what was left as her eyes lingered, her thoughts wandering, her heart racing, and her breath catching in her chest tightly.

The battle on the Sunnydale Hellmouth might have been one of the biggest fights of their lives, but it was nothing compared to the battle Faith was fighting inside herself.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Faith hit the heavy bag with her bare fists with her earbuds in and the iPod—borrowed from Dawn—blasting Paramore loudly into her ears. She'd been out there in the garage since before the sun even rose, that agitated feeling making it impossible for her to sleep for more than a couple of hours.

She tried not to think about that late night conversation with Buffy and how it left her feeling afterwards. She tried to keep her focus on hitting the heavy bag, losing herself in the music flowing into her ears. It wasn't really her kind of music, but she couldn't find her iPod and Dawn had left hers out in the living room. It had a beat she could work out to, that's all that mattered and she hit the bag hard with a right hook that left it rattling on the chain.

"If you hit that thing any harder, you're going to break it," Buffy said just loud enough for Faith to hear her over the music.

Chuckling, Faith pulled the earbuds out and turned around to look at her. "Nah, I couldn't break it even if I tried."

"I did. Once."

Faith raised an eyebrow at her as she grabbed the towel off the chair near her. Wiping away at her forehead and the back of her neck, she tried not to stare at Buffy as she stood in the opening of the garage, the door up most of the way, the morning sunlight flooding in and all around her. There was no denying that Buffy was beautiful and it didn't matter now that she was thirty-two years old, she still looked as good as she did ten years ago—if not even better.

It didn't take her long to realize that Buffy was wearing sweatpants and a sports bra. Her eyes lingered over Buffy's body, over her still flat and strong stomach. Despite her claiming to be out of shape, she didn't look it.

"So, are we going to do it?"

"Huh?" Faith asked, blinking as she brought her attention back up to Buffy's face. The smile that curled over her lips reached her eyes. "Do what, B?"

"Whip me back into shape?"

Laughing, Faith nodded and watched as she entered the garage, looking around like the place was foreign to her. It'd been a while since Faith had seen her come back there. She shook her head and walked over to the stack of mats that lined the back wall and one by one, she tossed them down on the cement floor, Buffy arranging them neatly, pressing the velcro pieces together meticulously. With the last mat on the floor, Faith stretched her arms over her head, her joints popping, muscles stretching, aching to be pushed to the max.

They took their time stretching out on the mats together. The silence was deafening and Faith hopped up from stretching her legs and jogged over to the radio that sat high up on one of the shelves. She didn't even know if it worked anymore, but she grabbed it anyway and plugged it into the socket. She fiddled with the knobs on the old radio until she finally managed to tune it to a radio station. Music filled the air and she let out a sigh of relief.

"So, this whipping thing isn't going to involve actual whips, is it?" Buffy asked as Faith joined her back on the mats.

"Not into kink, B?"

Always too easy to fall into their playful banter. She'd missed it. Somewhere along the line they'd grown apart and she'd missed hanging around with Buffy more than she cared to admit.

"Not that kind of kink," Buffy winked. "You so know that I'd be the one holding the whip."

"Dominatrix huh?" Faith's eyes glazed over as those images involuntarily flooded her mind. "Of course you'd be one, B. Make the rest of us your willing slaves, whip us when we step outta line."

"All jokes aside, how are we going to do this?" Buffy asked in all seriousness, putting a sudden stop to the light-hearted side of things. She really was serious about getting back into shape and it wasn't as if Faith had some kind of plan written up. "Are we going to just go with the flow, start easy and small?"

"What's your idea of easy and small?"

Buffy shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest as an old, familiar look flashed over her face. It made Faith smile. She knew that look. She'd missed that look. Buffy wanted to spar.

Two years. It'd been two years since they sparred together. Kennedy had become her sparring partner since Buffy stopped, why she stopped Faith still wasn't sure and she didn't want to ask either. Two years since they'd faced each other in a friendly feat, always with Buffy ending up on top and leaving Faith defeated. Not this time though. Faith grinned as her confidence grew. Buffy was out of shape, hadn't sparred in two years and Faith was in the shape of her life. She was stronger and faster than she'd ever been and she even had a few moves she knew would completely catch Buffy off-guard.

She was so distracted by the thoughts of finally being able to best Buffy, to finally be the one who came out on top, that she barely had time to duck away from Buffy's flying fist. A hard right hook, her personal favorite when it came to Faith's face.

"Damn, B," Faith chuckled as she rubbed her jaw. "Lucky for you, you still hit like you used to."

"I might be out of shape, Faith, but I can still kick your ass."

"Love to see you try, girlfriend."

And just like that, they were right back into the swing of things, every hit, every kick, every misdirected move perfectly in sync with one another. Neither held back, although Faith did at first, not wanting to hurt her, but when she went flying across the mats, courtesy of a hard kick to the ribs, holding back was no longer an option.

Buffy still telegraphed some of her punches and Faith easily avoided those, shaking her head and laughing every time Buffy grunted in frustration. Deciding to pull a few moves on her she figured Buffy wouldn't be expecting, she tried the side kick, punch and sweep combo that landed Kennedy on her ass the other week. It wasn't exactly a stella move, but it had the desired effect and caught Buffy off-guard as she landed on her back hard.

Holding out a hand, an offer to help Buffy back to her feet even though she didn't need help, Faith grinned and in a flash, Buffy grabbed her wrist and flipped her over before she could even blink. Gasping as she stared up at the rafters, her heart was racing hard and fast in her chest.

"Damn," Faith chuckled as she leaned up on her elbows, feeling winded. "You done yet?"

"Oh, I've barely started, Faith," Buffy said sweetly as they both rose to their feet.

"That right?"

"Uh huh."

Sizing her up, which wasn't hard since she had a good inch or two over her, Faith got right into her personal space. "So, why don't you show me what you really got, B, or have you been holding back all this time?"

"You think I've been holding back?" Buffy stepped back, feigning shock as she placed a hand over her heart. "I feel like I should be offended or something."

Faith laughed as she took a step back. "So, prove it."

Daring words, words she quickly regretted as Buffy had her tumbling on her back down on the mats yet again. She wasn't going to be the only one and while Buffy stood there with an eyebrow raised, Faith winked and swept her legs around and pulled Buffy down with her.

"Seems like you're spending just as much time down here as I am," Faith chuckled as she glanced over at Buffy next to her. They were both breathing heavily and Buffy groaned as she ran her fingers through her hair, unmoving. "So, how come you stopped?"

"Stopped?"

"Training," Faith clarified. "Been like two years since you've come out here and hit the mats with me. Can't help but think there's a reason for that."

"One word, retirement," Buffy replied. "Or at least the lamest attempt at one ever."

"You had enough yet, B?"

"Just catching my breath."

"Oh, getting too old for this, ain't ya?" Faith laughed and she moved quickly, pinning Buffy down on the ground before she had a chance to move. She straddled her hips and held her arms against the mats just above her head. "See, thing is, if I was a vamp and you were just 'catching your breath' you'd be dinner."

"Lucky for me," Buffy said as she leaned close into Faith's ear. "I wouldn't give you a chance to get a bite before I put a stake through your heart."

"How'd you manage that? Seems like your hands are otherwise restrained."

Buffy grinned and managed to wrap her legs around Faith's waist and twisted Faith off of her with a little bit of a struggle. With one hand, she had Faith's pinned above her head and the other holding an imaginary stake just inches away from her chest. Laughing, Faith tried to get Buffy to get off of her, but Buffy didn't budge an inch.

"Come on, you proved your point."

"Did I?"

"B, come on, get up."

Faith wasn't sure what the hell was going on or what had gotten into Buffy, but her body was responding in a dangerous way she couldn't control. This was one reason why—long before Buffy stopped training daily—Faith never sparred with her alone. Always making sure that Kennedy, even Dawn or Xander were out there in the garage with them so things like _this_ wouldn't happen.

It wasn't helping that it'd been a while since Faith had been with anyone. It wasn't helping that she was letting those _feelings_ creep up on her as she stared intensely into Buffy's eyes that were locked with her own. It wasn't helping her heart was racing and it had nothing to do with sparring. It wasn't helping that Buffy just placed her hand on her stomach, just below her breasts and could feel her racing heart.

Faith felt as if she was being pulled in to Buffy. Her eyes were locked with Buffy's hazel eyes that looked more green than ever. Neither of them were moving or making an attempt to. Faith felt the grip Buffy had on her hands slack and she leaned up quickly, not thinking, just doing, and kissed her firmly on the lips. She felt Buffy freeze at the sudden kiss that came out of nowhere. Faith moved a hand to slide into Buffy's hair as she kissed her a little harder, hoping to hell she wasn't going to bolt. She let her pull back just a little and the small gasp that slipped past Buffy's lips made Faith shiver.

In a move that caught Faith a little bit off-guard, Buffy kissed her back only it wasn't as restrained as Faith's had been. It was all tongue, hard, fast, and deep. Faith sat up slowly, her hands moving to rest on Buffy's hips as she lost herself in the euphoric and passionate kiss. From the way Buffy moaned as Faith sucked on her lower lip, she knew Buffy was enjoying it just as much as she was. And she couldn't quite get enough of her either.

The sound of the back door slamming made Buffy nearly leap up from Faith and she was gone, nearly running out of the garage, leaving Faith sitting on the mats alone and wondering what the hell had just happened.

Faith groaned as she lightly ran her fingertips over her kiss swollen lips. She was on the verge of mixed emotions, a part of her sexually charged and wanting to run after Buffy, another part of her wondering if she'd just flushed their friendship down the drain because she couldn't hold herself back in the heat of the moment.

"Yo, tell me I didn't just see what I thought I saw," Kennedy said as she strolled into the garage.

"What?"

"Buffy," Kennedy said as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "When was the last time she came in here?"

"Beats me," Faith shrugged, trying not to act like she'd just had the best damn kiss of her entire life. "What are you doing out here, Ken?"

"Looking for you."

"Any reason why?" Faith asked as she got to her feet, her legs feeling unsteady. "Looking to spar or something? Cos I pretty much just got my fill for the day."

"What, with Buffy kicking your ass?"

Laughing, Faith walked over to the weight bench and sat down. "Not exactly," she winked and she shook her head, running a shaking hand through her hair. "Give me a minute and we'll go a few rounds."

* * *

Faith sat alone on the front porch, nursing a beer and smoking her first cigarette in four years. For most of the day, she'd kept to herself and she knew that Buffy was purposely avoiding her. She felt like she'd made a big mistake, kissing Buffy like that, pushing the limits of their friendship to the max. She'd let her feelings take over and she gave in like she was weak and not at all in control of herself. She'd let herself become everything she'd tried not to become in the last ten years, if not longer and now she was kicking herself for being so damn stupid.

"I thought you quit?"

Faith turned to look at Willow as she stood by the front door. Shrugging, she took a long drag and ignored the disappointed look on Willow's face as she sat down on the front step next to her. She sighed quietly as Willow just stared pointedly at her.

"I did quit. I just—"

"Needed one?"

"Yeah."

"Any reason why?"

"That's a loaded question."

"Is it?"

Faith nodded and turned away as Willow frowned. She knew she could talk to Willow about anything and everything, but she wasn't sure how to talk to her about Buffy or what had happened in the garage that morning between them. If she knew Buffy as well as she thought she did, she knew Buffy wouldn't want her talking about it with anyone else.

"Just feeling a little stressed lately," Faith said. "It's nothing really, Will."

"Are you sure?"

She wasn't sure and she knew Willow knew that too, but she also knew that Willow wouldn't force her to talk about what was on her mind either. It was one of the things she liked about Willow and their friendship, it was the underlying understanding they had with each other.

"This isn't going to become a regular thing, is it?" Willow asked.

"What? This?" Faith looked down at the cigarette between her fingers. "Nah. It's not like I went to the store and bought a pack or anything. Bummed one off Cliff."

"Who is Cliff?"

"Guy has lived beside us for years," Faith replied and she pointed over at the house on the left.

"Oh. Right. I thought his name was Clint?"

Faith shrugged. "Don't know really, all I ever call him is "dude" whenever I see him."

"And you see him a lot?"

"In passing."

"Oh," Willow laughed and she shook her head. "You know what I just realized?"

"What's that?"

"You haven't been dating."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked her and she took a long drag of her cigarette, doing all she could to avoid looking at Willow. "I date."

"Not lately."

"So?"

"So, that's unusual for you, Faith. I mean, a few weeks is nothing, but it's been six months," Willow replied and she frowned as Faith glanced over at her. "Yeah, I know for a fact that it's been six months. The last guy you went out with, what was his name? Logan?"

"Rogan," Faith corrected her. "Only guy who made it past the fourth date. Decent guy, just wasn't my type."

"And what is your type?" Willow asked. "Let me guess. Blonde and petite, about five foot three?"

Faith didn't say a word. She didn't have to. She took one last drag of her cigarette before dropping it into her nearly empty bottle of beer. Standing up, she walked around to the side of the house and headed around the back to the garage. She mentally counted down the seconds, starting at ten, before Willow caught up to her.

"Will, I'm not in the mood right now," Faith said with a shake of her head. She walked over to the empty beer case and placed the bottle inside. "Seriously, Willow."

"Running away doesn't make it go away."

"I walked," Faith snapped and she took a few deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down.

"I know that you and Buffy were out here training this morning. You've both been acting weird all day, so that kind of makes me think that something happened."

"I pulled a stupid move," Faith sighed and she walked over to the heavy bag and tapped it with her right fist. "I kissed her and now—"

"Finally!" Willow laughed. "I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for this to happen."

"Huh?"

Willow grabbed her by her shoulders and stared right at her. "Ten years, Faith. I've been waiting for you two to figure it out for _ten_ years."

"Yeah, well, the feelings aren't mutual. Believe me."

"Seriously?"

"Buffy isn't gay."

"Neither are you!"

"You know that I've been with women before. Kind of makes me a little gay," Faith laughed sharply and she backed away from Willow. "Besides, me and B? We're just friends."

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"Hell no. She's been avoiding me since she bolted earlier. Can't say I blame her."

"Just like you're avoiding her," Willow said pointedly. Faith opened and closed her mouth, dumbfounded and unable to find the words to say. "Faith, if you don't talk to her about it, you know she's going to end up going out with yet another loser next week and who knows, maybe this time this guy might want to stick around and she'll fall in love with him, get married and where does that leave you? Full of regret? Can you just sit back and watch that happen and be happy for her?"

"Been doing it for years," Faith muttered under her breath. "All that matters is that she's happy."

"Faith—"

"Look, it's never gonna happen, Will. Like I said, we're just friends. I'm happy just being a part of her life, being her friend. Something I wanted back in Sunnydale, you know? If I tell her I want more, that I—" Faith cut herself off, not wanting to say it out loud. "I just don't want to lose what we have right now, you know, if I haven't already screwed it up by kissing her this morning."

Faith turned and tapped the heavy bag again, harder this time. She couldn't believe she ended up talking to Willow about Buffy, about kissing her. But it was Willow and if anyone could get her to talk about something she'd been avoiding, it was Willow Rosenberg.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Willow asked. "Did she kiss you back?"

Unable to fight the grin that slipped over her lips, Faith nodded. "Yeah, she did. It was a hell of a kiss too."

Willow had this swoon-y look on her face and she couldn't seem to stop smiling as she stared at Faith. She playfully pushed Willow away from her, still unable to wipe that grin off her lips.

"You should talk to her," Willow said in all seriousness. "You can't avoid it forever."

"I know."

"So, go and talk to her then," Willow said as she gave Faith a little push towards the front of the garage. "It's her night to cook, she'll be in the kitchen probably right about now."

"With Dawn or Andrew."

"I'll take care of them."

"Will—"

Willow just gave her another push and she gave in, leading the way to the back door and inside the kitchen. Sure enough, Buffy was at the stove, casually stirring the sauce in the pot while she chatted to Dawn and Andrew. Faith made her way to the fridge and grabbed a beer while Willow worked her proverbial magic in getting Dawn and Andrew to leave the kitchen with her. All she said was she wanted to plan a weekend getaway at the beach and that was all it took for the two to jump up from where they'd been sitting at the kitchen table and follow her out.

Silence filled the kitchen as soon as they were gone and Faith gingerly twisted the cap off her beer and tossed it in the garbage can. She turned to look over at Buffy and noticed how tense she looked, even from behind. She gritted her teeth as she leaned against the counter by the fridge and let her eyes roam over Buffy's backside, noticing how tight her jeans were and how perfectly they hugged the slight curve of her ass.

"We need to talk," Faith said quietly and Buffy didn't even flinch, didn't even turn around. She was acting like Faith wasn't even there. "B?"

"What? I'm a little busy right now, Faith."

"We need to talk about what happened this morning."

"Do we?" She shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about."

"We kissed, B."

Buffy laughed dryly and she finally turned to look at her. "I'm aware of that."

Scoffing, Faith lifted the bottle to her lips and took a few sips, her eyes never leaving Buffy, not even when she turned her attention back to the food cooking on the stove. She should've seen that coming, Buffy pulling the bitch card like that. Faith wondered why she even listened to Willow in the first place. Now on top of Buffy avoiding her, she's gonna be talking to her in clipped tones for god knows how long.

"So, it meant nothing then?" Faith couldn't help but ask. "You just wanna write it off as what, a heat of the moment thing and forget it ever happened?"

"Could we?"

"Is this why you've been avoiding me all day? Cos you just wanna forget it even happened?"

"Faith, can we not get into it right now? I told you, I'm busy right now," Buffy said sharply, her shoulders tensing as she reached for a wooden spoon on the counter to her left.

"Whatever," Faith said, rolling her eyes as she turned and walked out of the kitchen. She downed the rest of her beer before she reached the front of the house and she placed the empty bottle on the table near the front door and grabbed her keys and her wallet.

"Faith?" Willow asked tentatively as Faith yanked open the door. "Where are you going? Dinner is going to be ready soon."

"I'm not hungry."

"What happened?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Faith—"

She slammed the door behind her and walked down the front steps. Fighting the tears and the bubbling anger inside of her, she headed down the front path to the street. She had to get out of the house, staying there wouldn't be good for her and she'd learned over the years when tensions rose in the house, the best thing she could do was get the hell out of there for a little while. She made it down to the corner and stopped, groaning softly as she spotted Xander's truck headed her way. He came to a stop on the sidewalk next to her and motioned for her to climb in, but she just shook her head no as she walked up to the truck.

"Where you headed, Faith?"

"Anywhere but there."

"Do you want a ride somewhere?" Xander asked with a friendly smile. "Hop in, I'll take you anywhere you want to go just as long as I'm home in time for dinner."

Faith didn't answer him as she clenched her jaw. Going down to the local neighborhood bar on a Tuesday wasn't a smart idea. She could just have a few beers too many back at the house, shut herself in her room and tune the rest of the world out just as easily.

"How about we just go for a ride?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Sometimes you just gotta get out of there, I know. Why do you think I work overtime as much as I can sometimes?" Xander said with a laugh as he turned the truck around and headed for the highway. "You want to talk?"

"No."

"Cool."

Xander nodded, understanding and accepting that she wasn't willing to talk about what was going on. He reached for the radio and cranked the music as loud as they both could stand. Once they hit the highway, Faith felt that bubbling anger start to disappear, the tears long forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Buffy sighed as she finished her glass of wine. It had been four hours since Faith and tried to talk to her. She had felt that sinking, guilty feeling kick in as soon as she had heard the front door slam. Faith never showed up for dinner and she'd even made up a plate for her out of habit. She felt incredibly bad for treating Faith the way she did, but she had her reasons and at the top of that list was the fact that she was terrified of talking about what had happened between them.

Standing up from the front step she'd been sitting on for an hour, waiting for Faith to come home, she headed back inside and straight down to the kitchen to pour herself another glass of wine. The only light on in the kitchen was the light over the stove and she almost didn't see Faith sitting at the table until she turned to leave.

"When did you get home?"

"Few hours ago," Faith replied and from the sound of her voice, she'd had a few too many beers.

"You did?" Buffy asked, unmoving from where she stood a few feet away. "I didn't hear you come home. I was waiting for you."

"Why?"

"We should talk," Buffy said softly, the pang of guilt rippling through her as Faith rolled her eyes. "We _need_ to talk."

"Tried that already. Didn't end that well, but I bet you've forgotten that already too."

Buffy shook her head, feeling the tears threatening to spring up at any given moment. She placed her glass of wine on the table and sat down across from Faith. The look on Faith's face wasn't lost on her either. She was angry and drunk, not a good combination for anyone, but worse when it came to Faith. Buffy knew she had to tread carefully with her or they'd go weeks without speaking to each other. It'd happened before, but under completely different circumstances. It had been the worst two weeks of her life in the last ten years and she really didn't want to go through that again.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said as she tried to hold eye contact with Faith, but Faith leaned back in her chair, rolling her eyes again at her. "I am sorry for being such a bitch to you earlier, Faith. I'm sorry for avoiding you all day too, but you have to understand that I am freaking out about what happened between us this morning."

"We just kissed. Ain't like we fucked or anything."

"Faith—"

"You're sorry. I get it. It's all good, B," she laughed bitterly. "If you're worried I'm gonna try to kiss you again, don't. It's not gonna happen again."

Buffy could tell she was not only angry, but feeling hurt too. She could hear it in every stab of her words, words she could tell were being forced out. Nodding, Buffy raised her glass to her lips and gingerly took a small sip. She felt like there was something stuck in her throat as she roughly swallowed the mouthful of wine.

All day she had tried to figure out what had compelled her to kiss Faith back. All day she had tried to figure out if it was just in the heat of the moment, the fact they were both worked up from sparring, or if it had been something that had been building for a long time. All day she had tried to figure out if she was freaking out because she wasn't sure if she was attracted to Faith or not. And all day she'd been trying to figure out if Faith had feelings for her, overanalyzing their entire friendship, trying to find the signs that Faith felt something more when it came to her—and there were a lot of them in plain view that Buffy hadn't seen before.

"I know we just kissed and that nothing else happened," Buffy started and she lifted a hand, stopping Faith from trying to interrupt her before she said what she needed to say. "I know sometimes a kiss is just a kiss, that it doesn't mean anything. I…" she trailed off, feeling the tears spring into her eyes even though she was trying hard to keep them back. The wine wasn't helping either. "I don't think that it didn't meant anything, Faith."

"Well, it was a hell of a kiss, B. One I'm definitely not gonna be able to just forget about."

"I don't want to forget about it either."

"Glad that's settled then," Faith said as she rose slowly from her chair. "If you're done, I'm just gonna head to bed. This beer is giving me a headache."

"Faith—"

"Look, we had a chance to talk about this when I was still sober. Now? Not so much and I'm pretty sure you'd rather talk to me if I had a clear head—which I don't—so I'm just gonna go hit the sack, alright?"

Buffy frowned as she watched Faith exit the kitchen. Maybe Faith was right about not talking about it when neither of them were exactly sober and had a clear head. Buffy was on her third glass of wine, something that was unusual for her especially on a Tuesday night. Faith was also right about it having been one hell of a kiss, but she was wrong about things being settled. Things were so far from being settled between them.

Leaving her glass of wine on the table, she rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. At the end of the hallway, she saw Faith just entering her room and she walked towards her quickly, stopping her from shutting the door on her.

"What do you want, B?" Faith groaned as she let go of the door and let Buffy follow her inside. "I already told you. I'm buzzed and I got a wicked headache coming on and we can't be talking about this without clear heads right now. Tell me one thing, before you say anything else. How many glasses have you had?"

"I'm on my third, but—"

"You're a lightweight, B. Even I know that," Faith chuckled and she walked over to the left side of her bed and switched on the light.

"I am not a lightweight."

"Little bit," Faith laughed again. Buffy stayed near the doorway, her eyes locked on Faith, watching her every move. "I don't know what you want me to say here, B. We had a moment, sure, but the second you bolted, it was over. End of story."

The thing with Faith was, once she'd had a few drinks in her, the walls she always seemed to have built up around her were knocked down. She spoke her mind freely and in a way Buffy was almost grateful for that, yet at the same time, she knew that come tomorrow morning, Faith would shut her out and likely pretend to forget she'd said anything at all.

Buffy wasn't sure what to say either and from the looks of things, Faith just wanted her to leave. She knew she shouldn't have followed her, but whether it was the wine or the fact that she'd done nothing but think of what happened between them all day, she wasn't going anywhere. Buffy turned and shut the door, the soft click sounding louder than it actually was. As she turned around, her mouth suddenly felt dry and she wasn't sure why she didn't just leave. Leaving was likely the better option, but she couldn't. Not yet.

"Don't know what you want from me, B," Faith said as she took a step towards Buffy. "Cos this whole talking thing? Pretty sure it's been a one-sided conversation since ya followed me up here."

Buffy knew the wine was making her bold, stripping her of any inhibitions and doubt. That overwhelming feeling that made her want to kiss Faith again was the only thing she could feel and she wanted to know—needed to know if the spark she'd felt that morning was real and not just a figment of her imagination.

"I don't know what I want from you, Faith," Buffy said softly. "I know we need to talk about this, I know that now probably isn't the best time, but it's now or never," she laughed and shook her head, taking another step closer to Faith. "I'm going crazy here."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"I'm just worried," Buffy sighed. "You're one of my best friends, Faith. I don't want that to change just because we—"

"Kissed once?" Faith asked, an eyebrow raised. "We can just write it off. You seemed to want that earlier. Write it off and go on with our lives, friendship intact."

Buffy frowned as Faith walked over to the door and opened it. She cocked her head to the side, waiting for Buffy to get the hint and leave. With a deflated and dejected sigh, Buffy walked out of Faith's room, turning around quickly only to have the door shut in her face.

"Well, that's just perfect," Buffy muttered under her breath. She turned and headed down the hallway to her room, her nearly full glass of wine down in the kitchen forgotten as soon as she laid down face first on her bed.

* * *

Faith groaned loudly, pulling her pillow over her head as her alarm clock went off. Blindly reaching for it, she smashed her hand down on the snooze button, breaking the clock in the process. At least there was silence again. Her head was pounding and she was dying of thirst and wishing she hadn't set her alarm for six in the morning. The inevitable hangover was going to make her day a long and difficult one, but it was her own doing and she'd suffer the consequences of drinking far too much in a small span of time.

And the inevitable hangover was making her feel murderous as someone knocked loudly on her bedroom door.

"What?" Faith yelled, her voice muffled by the pillow she held on her head.

"Did you break something?" Willow asked from the other side of the door. "Faith?"

Groaning loudly, Faith pulled the pillow off of her head and squinted slightly as she glanced at her smashed alarm clock. She stretched out and sighed as Willow knocked on the door again before she tried the handle. Locked. She never locked her door and as she tried to figure it out, the night before came flashing back in one huge rush.

"Oh fuck," she winced as she pressed her palms to her eyes.

"Faith? How come your door is locked?"

Sitting up in her bed, she looked down at her very naked body and stifled a laugh. "Cos I slept naked apparently, Will."

She laughed quietly, knowing Willow was likely blushing at her blatant confession. Slowly, she slipped out of bed and grabbed a clean t-shirt and threw it on. She grabbed a pair of shorts, pulling them on as she made her way to the door and unlocked it. A second later, Willow opened the door, a hand over her eyes, fingers parted as she looked at Faith.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Faith nodded. "Killed my alarm clock though."

"You killed your alarm clock? What did it ever do to you?"

"Went off," Faith chuckled as she shook her head. "Had a bit too much to drink last night."

"Oh," Willow said with an eyebrow raised and the look she gave Faith made her feel guilty.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask ya to magic the hangover away this time."

"Good, because I would've said no anyway," Willow laughed. "I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm fine. Sorry for waking ya up, Will."

Willow just smiled at her, the question lingering on her lips, but never tumbling out. She wanted to know what happened last night, Faith could see she was just itching to hear all the details, but Faith wasn't in the mood to talk about last night or the late night confrontation she had with Buffy. It wasn't a conversation, it was a confrontation. Buffy had made her feel trapped and she had shut her out in the only way she knew how, by playing things off like it was no big deal. Although the details were fuzzy, she still remembered the look on Buffy's face right before she'd shut the door. It still made her feel the knots in her stomach twisting, the guilt gripping at her, holding her in a pattern of emotional turmoil.

Without a word, Faith followed Willow down the stairs and into the kitchen, the house quiet as everyone else was still in bed, sound asleep. Faith spotted the nearly full wine glass still sitting on the table and she grabbed it, pouring it out in the sink while Willow filled the coffee maker up with water. She stared blankly at the glass before placing it down in the sink, the pounding in her head worsening as she turned the tap on.

"There should be painkillers in that cupboard," Willow said quietly as she pointed to the cupboard where they kept the dozens of bottles of vitamins and other medicine. "The ones in the blue bottle should do the trick."

"Right, thanks," Faith replied as she plucked the blue tinted plastic bottle out from beside the Advil and twisted off the cap. She pulled two from inside the bottle and turned around to find Willow standing right behind her with a glass of water in her hand. "Okay, you're acting weird."

"For getting you a glass of water?"

"What do you want, Will?"

"I'm going to take it that you don't want to talk about why you were drinking heavily on a Tuesday night."

Faith shrugged as she popped the pills into her mouth and sipped the water, swallowing hard as Willow just stared at her pointedly, resolve face firmly in place.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way?"

"You're not getting into my head," Faith said with a warning glare as she shut the cupboard door and leaned back against the counter. "So, what's the hard way?"

"Twenty questions, of course."

"Of course."

"But that's just silly," Willow laughed bluntly. "I only need to ask one. It was Buffy, wasn't it? I take it that conversation you had with her before dinner didn't go well."

"Understatement," Faith replied, her voice flat and emotionless. "And I really don't want to talk about it, Willow. Not now and not later."

"It went that badly, huh?" Willow asked and she made a zipping motion over her lips. "Sorry, I'm just curious and I was so happy when you told me what happened. I thought maybe for sure things would've turned out differently after you talked to her."

"Makes two of us."

Faith was itching for a cigarette. The one she'd had yesterday had sparked the cravings she'd buried and forgotten about years ago. What she wouldn't give to have one while she waited for the painkillers to work their magic to dull the pain in her head.

She tried to keep herself together, watching as Willow poured the coffee into two mugs. She gratefully took the offered mug and followed Willow out to sit on the front porch. Everything was quiet, the sunlight soft and already warm as it rose slowly in the sky. Willow placed something on the table that sat between the chairs and Faith glanced over at what she'd put down. A pack of cigarettes and her old zippo lighter, something she thought had gone out in the trash the day she quit and Willow made her throw it out along with the entire carton of cigarettes she'd picked up the day before.

"Just promise it's not going to be like before when you were a walking chimney," Willow said softly, an understanding smile curling over her lips. "I overheard things between you and Buffy before dinner. I couldn't help it, but I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you or anything. I figured you might need something to take the edge off instead of drinking yourself into liver failure."

"Thanks," Faith smiled a grateful smile that quickly disappeared. "Were you reading my mind when we were inside or something?"

Willow shook her head and placed a hand over her heart. "I swear I wasn't reading your mind. I promised you after the last time I wouldn't do it again and I haven't."

"So, if I light up right now, you're not gonna give me that look again, are ya?"

"What look?"

"You know the one," Faith chuckled and Willow, with her hand still over her heart, shook her head no. Faith picked up the pack of Lucky's cigarettes and opened it quickly. She lit one and inhaled deeply as she leaned back in the chair, her head still pounding, but the rush of nicotine helped her feel more at ease.

* * *

After the pounding in her head had finally faded to a dull throb, Faith had gone out for a quick run, bringing Max along with her. By the time she returned to the house, her body was fired up and as tense as ever. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed out to the garage, hoping she'd be left alone so she could work out some of the tension that had taken over her body. She came to an abrupt stop as she entered the garage and saw Buffy hitting the heavy bag, her back to Faith, earbuds in, completely unaware that she was no longer alone.

Faith turned to leave, but stopped herself. She wasn't going to go out of her way and avoid Buffy as Buffy had done to her the day before. They kissed, big deal, and talking about it hadn't gone that well, not the first time and definitely not the second time when Faith just shut Buffy out. She sighed loudly and walked further into the garage, the mats they'd laid down the day before were still on the floor and she felt the knot in her stomach twisting as she stared down at them, everything in the moment they had shared rushing back to her as if it had just happened minutes before and not a whole day ago.

"Oh," Buffy gasped as she spun around. "I didn't hear you come in," she said as she pulled the earbuds out slowly. "I'll uh, I'll be done in a minute."

"Thought we were gonna train every morning, B?"

"I didn't think you'd want to anymore."

"Don't be retarded, B," Faith laughed bitterly. "You wanted me to help you get back into shape and I promised ya I would. So, work on hitting the bag for a while. I'm gonna hit the weights"

Buffy nodded, her face flushed as she slipped her earbuds back in. She turned back to the bag and let out a long, drawn out sigh. Faith walked over to the weight bench and put a couple of twenty pound weights on each end of the barbell, taking her time to make sure the weights were secured properly. She laid back and closed her eyes before she turned to look over at Buffy. It felt different to be around her and she knew it would be, but she couldn't put her finger on just what it was that felt different exactly.

Trying to keep her mind from wandering, each rep making the muscles burn in her arms burn at the strain as she pushed herself, counting each rep in her head just to have something to focus on. By the time she finished a set of fifty, Buffy had stopped hitting the bag and was watching her. Sighing, she sat up slowly and stretched out her arms, the tension in her body still lingering.

"I don't know if sparring is a good idea, but—"

"Not today," Faith cut her off.

"Faith—"

"Is one-twenty too heavy for you?" Faith asked as she took a few of the weights off. "Eighty sound good to you, B?"

"Faith, can we just—"

"Come on, B, give me twenty reps," she said and watched as Buffy laid on the bench and gripped onto the barbell. "Any time now."

"Faith, can I say something?"

"What?"

"I want to talk to you about yesterday."

"We already talked about this last night, B. Nothing more needs to be said."

"No, what we did last night wasn't talking. That was you shutting me out," Buffy said as she sat back up.

"Which was no different than the way you shut me out when I tried to talk to you about it the first time."

Faith stared hard at Buffy, her heart racing as she motioned for her to lay back down on the bench. After a moment, she did and she gripped on to the barbell again, this time lifting it and slowly went through a few reps while Faith spotted her. By the time she went through the twenty reps, her pace had picked up and each rep was done fluidly and with ease.

"I'm going to feel that later," Buffy groaned softly as she sat up and rubbed her arms. "I'm starting to think it was a stupid idea to stop training."

"That's what I told you before and you didn't listen, of course," Faith laughed and she winked at Buffy as she caught the glare in her eyes. "So, what do you think about patrolling?"

"What about it?"

"You want to go out tonight? Find us a couple of vamps?" Faith asked and Buffy thought about it for a second before shaking her head no. "Oh come on, you don't even miss it? Not even a little?"

"Maybe a little bit."

"So, come with me and Kennedy and our team tonight. We're hitting Lake View. There's been reports of activity there for the last couple of weeks and some of the other teams haven't had much luck there. So, what do you say, B?"

"I'll think about it," Buffy gave in, smiling a little bit when Faith grinned widely. "Look, I just want to apologize for last night," she said, her smile fading just as quickly as Faith's did. "It was stupid to try and talk to you when we'd both been drinking."

"It's fine, B. Don't worry about it."

"Don't do this. Don't shut me out, Faith. Please," Buffy said quietly as she took a few steps closer to Faith. "Why can't we talk about this?"

Faith gritted her teeth as she took a step back. Being so close to Buffy was driving her crazy and her body was still tense and it was starting to look like she'd be feeling like that all day until she went out on patrol later. She didn't want to talk about it with Buffy because all she wanted to do was kiss her again. It was hard enough to try and quash those thoughts and talking about it, hell even being in the same room so close to Buffy made it harder.

"Faith?"

"I don't want to talk about it cos I…"

"Because you want to kiss me again?" Buffy finished for her.

Faith laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her neck. "Well, you made it pretty clear yesterday that it's not gonna happen again. I always seem to have this problem, always wanting what I can't have. Guess some things never change, no matter how hard you try to change them, you know?"

"I never said that."

"I can read between the lines. You're not that hard to figure out sometimes, Buffy."

The look Buffy gave her reminded her of the look she used to get when she was slaying, that moment right before she staked the vampire she was fighting or plunged a knife into a demon's heart. It was raw and primitive and the confidence in her was growing that even Faith could see it in her eyes as they stood there staring hard at one another.

"Why did you do it?"

"Felt like it," Faith shrugged.

"Why yesterday? We've been friends for ten years, Faith. Ten years and you what, suddenly decided while we were sparring that you wanted to kiss me?"

"So, why'd you kiss me back, B?"

"I—" Buffy clamped her mouth shut, at loss for words in an instant. "I don't know," she finished nearly a whole minute later.

The laughter that escaped past Faith's lips tasted as bitter as it sounded. She was stopped by Buffy grabbing on to her arm as she turned to walk away and before she could say a word, her lips were captured roughly by Buffy's in a hard kiss. She pushed Buffy away seconds later, eyes searching, questions lingering but the words not too easily formed. What was Buffy doing to her? Didn't Buffy know that kissing her again was just gonna make things even more complicated than they'd already become?

"Oh, fuck it," Faith murmured as she wrapped her arms around Buffy and kissed her softly, a stark difference from the kiss Buffy had initiated before.

They stilled for a moment, hot and shaky breaths spilling over each other's lips as they parted, just for a moment. The instant their lips met again, it was anything but soft. It was pure passion, the kind that left one breathless in seconds, bodies throbbing and hearts racing. Faith slipped a hand up to the back of Buffy's neck, Buffy mirroring her as the kiss deepened. Slowly Faith backed her up towards the wall, her hands itching to move, to explore the body tightly pressed up against her. She fought that urge, not wanting to completely scare Buffy off, too far into the kiss and the feel of Buffy's lips against her own.

Buffy pulled back as soon as she was pressed up against the wall. Faith sighed, her eyes still closed as she felt Buffy's warm breath spilling past her lips. Afraid she'd taken it too far, she dropped her hands away from Buffy and took a step back. Opening her eyes, she saw Buffy staring at her, skin flushed, lips swollen, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

"Where are you going?" Buffy asked, her voice raspy and shaky. "Faith?"

"What?"

"I didn't want you to stop," she said boldly, smiling as she reached out for Faith's hands and pulled her back in. "I just needed to catch my breath for a moment there."

"I leave you breathless, huh?" Faith chuckled, her hands letting go of Buffy's to come to rest on her hips. "B, you aren't gonna wig this time and run off and avoid me all day are ya?"

"No, I think I'd much rather kiss you again. And again. And—"

Faith captured her lips in a soft kiss, a smile curling over her lips the instant Buffy moaned and pulled her body flush against her own. Giving in had never felt so good. The questions that lingered would have to be answered later since the only thing on her mind now was kissing Buffy until it almost hurt to breathe and do it all over again. And again.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Buffy tentatively knocked on Faith's door, keeping the knock quiet as to not draw any unwanted attention to herself. It was late, but she'd heard Faith come home from patrol and she'd been unable to sleep. Since that morning, she hadn't been able to find a moment alone with Faith and it was driving her crazy. They'd spent almost an hour in the garage making out before Dawn poked her head out the back door and called them in for lunch.

All Buffy had been able to do all day was think about Faith and how good—no, scratch that—how amazing kissing Faith made her feel. She didn't know what any of it meant, but she knew she enjoyed being alone with Faith in ways they never had before. She knew she wanted to continue, to see where things were going, to try to understand these intense feelings she'd been experiencing since the day before when Faith had fist kissed her and she went and made a mess out of everything.

"B?" Faith whispered as she opened her door slowly. "It's like two in the morning. What are you doing here?"

"You really have to ask me that?"

Smirking, Faith held open the door and Buffy could feel her eyes on her as she stepped inside the dimly lit bedroom. "Is this some kind of a booty call or something?"

"Not quite," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I just wanted to see you."

"You'll see me in the morning, bright an early as usual, B. Couldn't wait a few hours?"

Buffy shook her head no and took a moment to look over Faith. All she wore was a tight fitting tank top and a pair of boxers, no doubt ready to go to bed once she wound down from being out slaying for a couple of hours. Buffy hadn't changed from what she'd worn for most of the day, cutoff denim shorts and a pink tank top. She'd hung out with Faith before in what Faith called pajama's and it had never quite effected her the way it was now. It was almost as if Faith's room felt far warmer than it actually was and she laughed quietly to herself as she glanced over at the open window.

"I wanted to spend some time alone with you this afternoon, but there always seemed to be someone around."

"Pretty full house," Faith shrugged and she shut her door. Buffy tried not to shiver as she heard the click of the door being locked. "And why did you want to spend some time alone with me?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

Faith nodded as she walked over to where Buffy stood by the edge of the bed. "I want to hear you say it, B, or else I'm gonna get a complex or something."

She slapped Faith playfully across the shoulder. "Loser," Buffy muttered, fighting the smile off her face as Faith dramatically rubbed over her shoulder where Buffy had hit her. "Fine," she sighed and watched as Faith's eyes lit up a little. "I wanted to continue where we left off this morning before Dawn rudely interrupted us."

"Wanted to?"

"Still want to."

"Not sure if that's such a good idea, B."

"Why not? You seemed to—oh," Buffy felt her cheeks burning as she realized what Faith was trying to say. She'd been slaying and that was one of the things that hadn't changed for her over the years was the way slaying affected her libido. Hungry and horny, not just a saying, but a way of life. Buffy had experienced it before she retired, but she'd never willingly admit it. Ever.

"Not sure I could hold back," Faith whispered, her voice husky as Buffy stepped into her arms and wrapped them loosely over Faith's shoulders. "If anything happens, it could seriously change our friendship, B, and I'm really not ready to lose ya cos I pull a stupid move you aren't ready for or even want, you know?"

"You don't trust yourself?" Buffy asked and Faith shook her head no. "Why not?"

"Cos when I'm around you, B, I feel a little crazy. Not a bad crazy, but uh, you know, the one that gets your heart racing and your skin tingles in this way that there are no words are fit to describe the way it feels."

"Like right now?" Buffy whispered as she trailed her fingers over Faith's bare shoulders, feeling almost as if there was an electric current running between them, only it was soft and it drew her in, it made her want more. "You do feel it, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do," Faith replied, her voice sounding reluctant as she rubbed her hands over Buffy's hips.

Buffy's eyes searched Faith's, wondering if there was something else that was holding her back. If she knew Faith as well as she thought she did, it was more than just not being able to hold back with her, there was something else. Something bigger. It was something that Buffy wanted to know, yet was too afraid to ask her, afraid if she did, she'd be on the receiving end of Faith putting her walls right back up and shutting her out.

Faith's skin was warm under her fingertips and she slowly moved them to the back of her neck and pulled her in, their lips meeting gently at first. Faith's hands moved from her hips and around to cup her ass, a move that turned things around in an instant. Gone was the soft, slow and gentle unhurried kisses. It was pure passion, wild and unrestrained. Buffy's body was responding to Faith and she was left breathless, yet unable to pull herself away for more than mere seconds at a time.

Faith moved her hands to the backs of Buffy's thighs and lifted her up, a move that surprised her, but she didn't stop kissing her. She knew what Faith was going to do before she felt the softness of the bed beneath her with Faith on top of her. Faith's hands were gone from her body almost completely, one hand holding herself slightly above Buffy, the other resting near her side. Even as the kiss changed, Buffy knew she was fighting to hold back, to not touch her in fear that Buffy would end up freaking right out and put an end to it. But she didn't want to stop and she wanted more than just to kiss her. She needed to feel Faith's hands on her, touching her, even if it didn't go as far as getting each other naked and having hot, sweaty sex until the sun came up.

Taking Faith's left hand in hers, she moved it to the side of her stomach, gently encouraging her to touch, to feel her. Her breath hitched in her chest as Faith took the hint and glided her hand up to cup her right breast. Faith quickly moved her lips to her neck, licking and biting, sucking at her pulse point as she pinched a hardening nipple through the soft material of her shirt. She was suddenly wondering if going braless that day had been a good idea or a bad one, but that thought was quashed the second Faith moved to suck her nipple through her shirt, sending a whole host of new sensations flooding through her body.

Faith lifted her head and raised an eyebrow as her fingers trailed over the strap of her tank top. She swallowed hard as she nodded her head, giving Faith the okay to keep going. Slowly, Faith slipped her fingers under the strap and slid it down over her shoulders. She lowered her head, her lips wrapping around a hard nipple and Buffy tried to suppress the moan that followed. As much as she was enjoying the attention, she needed to kiss her, if only just to put the brakes on things from moving far too fast.

But Faith wasn't moving, too busy licking and sucking on her nipple, eliciting soft, breathy moans every time she sucked harder than the last time. Buffy slid her hands into Faith's hair, arching her chest forward as she tried to be quiet. She forgot about wanting to slow things down, forgot how much she needed to kiss her and focused on the feel of Faith's lips and tongue on her skin. She was being held hostage by the hot of delicious sensations she felt rumbling through her body and even though a part of her knew they needed to slow down, the other part of her didn't want to stop or to go slow.

Faith ran her hand down Buffy's side, over her hip and down her thigh, scratching her nails against her bare thigh and stopping as she reached the edge of Buffy's jean shorts. Her fingers dipped under the edge and she sucked on her nipple one last time before dragging her tongue across her skin ever so slowly up towards her neck. Faith kissed her briefly before leaning back and stared down into her eyes, eyes searching, a silent question being asked if she had taken things too far. Buffy responded in the only way she could, by kissing her, her words failing to flutter past her lips, lips that ached just to be kissed again.

The kiss was slow, deep and sensual as Faith's fingers caressed her skin on the back of her thigh. She lifted that leg over Faith's hips and groaned into her mouth as she slipped her fingers further up inside her shorts. Her hips surged upwards as Faith's fingers deftly traced over the edge of her panties and she moved a hand to push Faith's hand away. She wasn't quite ready for _that_. And she was also getting tired of being a bottom.

Pushing at Faith's shoulder a little, hoping she'd get the hint and make this easier for her, they rolled over on the soft bed and Buffy settled her body on top of Faith's, not once breaking away from the kiss. Her body hummed in sync with Faith's as Faith slipped a leg between hers and thrust her hips upwards against Buffy's thigh, her hands gripping on to her hips, encouraging Buffy to do the same.

As soon as she started fully responding to Faith, her moment on top was over in a flash and she was on her back, grinding in tune to the pace that Faith had set. She ran her hands down Faith's back and slipped them under the hem of her shirt. Faith's soft skin was warm and too tempting not to touch. It only had her mind reeling as she thought about how soft she could be _everywhere_. If she wasn't already wet, just the thought of a very naked Faith made her panties wetter and suddenly she forgot why she'd been trying to put the brakes on before, why she wanted things to go slow. Everything about this, about Faith, felt far too good to hold back.

Suddenly feeling bolder, more confident—and determined not to be some kind of pillow queen, entirely new experience or not—Buffy trailed her hands up Faith's smooth back and around to her stomach, her shirt lifting as she moved her hands higher to cup each breast firmly. She rolled each hard nipple between her fingers and Faith responded by letting out a low moan and sucking on her bottom lip before kissing her deeply again.

Buffy moved her hands up further, lifting her shirt and Faith leaned back, both breathing heavily as Buffy pulled her shirt off and tossed it to the floor. Her eyes drank in the sight of Faith's bare breasts and hard, erect nipples. Faith's chest was heaving as she tried to get her breathing under control, her hands reaching for the hem of Buffy's shirt, inching it upwards slowly, her eyes searching Buffy's once she tore them away from her breasts, searching for any sign that Buffy was about to tell her no. She sat up a little and pulled her tank top up when Faith's hands stilled and she tossed it in the same direction she'd thrown Faith's shirt and laid back down.

Seconds passed by slowly, but as they both caught their breath, their lips met again in a hungry, passionate kiss. This time when Faith's hand ran up the backside of her thigh, she didn't stop her as her fingers dipped inside the edge of her shorts and she didn't stop her when she felt her fingers trace over the edge of her panties. Her hands were trembling as she swept them up Faith's back again, not just from passion but because she was suddenly feeling very nervous. The boxers that Faith wore did nothing to hide the fact that she was definitely turned on and Buffy could feel just how wet she was as she ground into her thigh.

"You okay?" Faith asked as she pulled back from her lips and looked down at her with concerned eyes. "Buffy?"

"Yeah," Buffy whispered. "This is just, you know, all sorts of new."

"Do ya wanna stop, cos if it's too much we can just—"

"No."

"No?" Faith smiled as she gently caressed Buffy's cheek before tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

They both smiled and Buffy couldn't help but laugh. She definitely didn't want to stop. She wanted Faith and she wanted all of her, hard and fast, soft and slow and everything in between. She was allowing her body to respond to every touch and every kiss. And she had to have more.

Pulling Faith towards her, she captured Faith's lips in a searing kiss, the trembling in her hands stopping as she lost herself in the kiss. Moving a hand down Faith's side slowly, she debated whether to take things further, wondering if she should let Faith take the lead. But she knew Faith was doing all she could to hold back, to stay in control of herself. It was down to her and despite it being all sorts of new and the fact she wasn't experienced in being with other women. Slowly she trailed her fingers over the edge of Faith's boxers and then over the soft skin of her toned stomach. Faith stilled her hips as Buffy dipped her fingers under the edge of her boxers and she broke away from the kiss, staring hard into Buffy's eyes.

Slowly, Buffy slid her hand inside the loose boxers and Faith's breath hitched as her fingers slipped over her nearly hairless pussy. Buffy bit her lower lip as she felt how wet she really was, how hot her pussy felt against her hand. Without hesitating, she slipped a single finger inside of Faith deftly and it caused Faith to surge her hips forward, seeking more.

"Oh fuck," Faith breathed out as she pressed her forehead against Buffy's and closed her eyes, her breath coming out in short gasps as Buffy thrust a second finger inside of her.

"Touch me," she whispered. Pleaded. So far gone from feeling as nervous and unsure as she thought she should be. "Please."

Faith lips found hers again and they kissed wildly as Faith moved a hand between her legs and rubbed her over her jean shorts. A wave of pleasure thundered through her body and she rolled her hips against Faith's hand, wanting more, so much more. She found a pace that had Faith moaning and gasping into her mouth, fucking her hard and deep with two fingers, her palm grinding against her clit.

* * *

"I'm gonna cum," Faith groaned as she pulled back from Buffy's lips. "Fuck."

Moving her lips to Buffy's neck, she sucked on her pulse point, no doubt in her mind she was going to leave a mark, her mark. Buffy's fingers didn't slow down and she moaned loudly against her neck as her orgasm thundered through her body. Moving back up to Buffy's lips, she kissed her hard and deep, her moans muffled as they devoured each other. She rubbed Buffy harder through her jean shorts and she could feel how hot her pussy was. She needed to feel her, she needed to taste her, to make her cum hard and fast and do it again and again.

As Buffy pulled her hand out of her boxers, Faith groaned at the sudden loss of her fingers. Her body was trembling from her intense orgasm, but she was already fired up and ready for more. She moved her lips back down to Buffy's neck, nipping at her skin as she slowly descended down her body. She swirled a tongue over a hard nipple before pulling it between her lips. Buffy moaned and arched into her mouth, her hands in Faith's hair as she sucked hard.

Faith swore she heard Buffy whimper as she moved her hand away from between her legs. Moving her lips to her other nipple, she slowly licked and sucked it, feeling Buffy's body responding in the most delicious way. When Buffy knocked on her door, she had no idea what would happen and she had been so worked up from patrol she felt like she was gonna burst at any given second. She definitely hadn't anticipated things to go this far, this fast between them either, but Buffy had shown her all the signs that she wanted this too.

Continuing her slow descent down Buffy's body, she trailed her tongue across her stomach, tasting her skin and drinking it all in. She leaned back as her tongue hit the edge of Buffy's jean shorts and she quickly unbuttoned them, her eyes sweeping up Buffy's body to look into Buffy's eyes, searching for a sign that Buffy wasn't ready for this. Buffy smiled down at her and licked over her lips as she moved her hands to her shorts and started to push them down. Faith's heart was racing as she grabbed the edge of her shorts and pulled them down, her fingers hooking on to Buffy's panties, ridding her of both in a matter of seconds. She stood at the edge of the bed and pushed her boxers down and her eyes drank in the sight of Buffy, naked and on her bed, and waiting for her to make the next move.

"God, you're beautiful, Buffy," she whispered as she crawled back on to the bed and between Buffy's partially spread legs.

She ran her hands slowly up Buffy's legs, keeping her eyes locked with Buffy's as she spread her legs wider, exposing her completely. Dipping her head down, she kissed along the inside of Buffy's thighs, slowly making her way up to her center. Buffy moaned as she breathed a hot breath over her wet pussy and when she inhaled the intoxicating scent of Buffy's arousal, it was more than enough to push Faith over the edge. She couldn't hold herself back, not after that short yet intense orgasm she'd just had. She wanted to dive right in, but decided that wasn't a good idea. She wanted to take her time, for her own sake and for Buffy's, she wanted to savor every last second of being with Buffy.

Faith flicked her tongue against Buffy's clit, her eyes locked with Buffy's as she did it again. Slowly, she licked down her pussy and she could feel Buffy's body respond as she dipped her tongue inside her hot, tight hole. Faith moaned against her skin as Buffy slipped her hands into her hair, holding firm to her head as Faith slipped her tongue further inside of her. She had Buffy writhing and moaning, her fingers digging into her scalp as she fucked her with her tongue.

Buffy moaned as Faith replaced her tongue with two fingers. She gasped as she tried to catch her breath and licked over her lips. She wrapped her lips around Buffy's clit and sucked hard, Buffy's hips surged and nearly bucked Faith off of her completely. She flicked her tongue over Buffy's hard, throbbing clit and used her left hand to hold Buffy's hips down as she fucked her hard and fast with her fingers.

"Faith," Buffy moaned, her thighs closing around Faith's head as her body began to shake. "Oh god, I'm—"

Buffy moaned again before she could finish speaking and Faith curled her fingers as she sucked on her clit, sending her over the edge as her orgasm hit her hard and fast. Slowly she removed her fingers and licked over her pussy fully, drinking every bit of her in as she felt her own body reacting to Buffy's breathy sighs and moans. Buffy's hands finally release the hold she had on Faith's head and her body shuddered as Faith placed a soft kiss on her clit before rising slowly on her knees.

Crawling upwards, her eyes locked with Buffy's, Faith slid her body against hers as she leaned in to kiss her, allowing Buffy to taste herself. Her hips rolled down against Buffy's and they moaned into each other's mouth, hands grasping and clutching as they kissed furiously. Faith needed more and she wanted more, but the way Buffy slowed down, kissing her lazily, told her that she needed to take a few steps back at the moment and let Buffy come back down from the high of the intense orgasm she'd just experienced.

"Can I stay here tonight?" Buffy whispered against her lips and it made Faith laugh. "What?"

"Did you think we're done?" Faith chuckled as she stared into Buffy's hazel eyes and watched as she struggled to find the words. "Cos I'm so not done with you, B."

"Oh no?"

Faith grinned as she rolled her hips and she moaned as she felt Buffy's wet pussy against her own. "Definitely not. Unless you're too—"

"Tired?" Buffy finished for her and she pouted slightly. "Are you going to be mad if I say I am?"

"Too tired for this?" Faith whispered huskily as she slipped a leg under Buffy's, completely changing the angle as she rolled her hips again. Buffy scratched her short nails down Faith's back, her moan giving away the fact that despite being tired, she wanted more too.

Faith watched her as they moved together, soft gasps and breathy moans filling the silence in the room. Buffy sat up slowly and wrapped her arms around Faith as their lips met in a soft, sensual kiss. In a move that caught her off-guard, Faith found herself on her back with Buffy on top, grinding herself into Faith's pussy as she sucked on Faith's bottom lip. Buffy leaned back as Faith swept her hands up her stomach and cupped her breasts, her fingers slipping over hard nipples as Buffy moaned out into the room.

She was transfixed, completely mesmerized by Buffy and the heat they were creating between them. As Buffy leaned her head back, Faith realized in that moment that she would never be able to let Buffy go. Her heart belonged to Buffy, as it always had, but it felt different now that Buffy had handed her own heart to Faith without hesitation. She slipped her hands around to Buffy's back and pulled her back down flush against her.

"Faith, I—" Buffy gasped as Faith's hands slid to her ass and pulled her down harder against her.

"What is it, B?"

"Don't stop."

Faith groaned as Buffy's lips found their way to her neck and she sucked hard over her pulse point. Faith's heart was still racing and she could feel the burning pleasure quickly building up inside of her and flooding through her body fast. She moaned as Buffy's lips found hers again and she never wanted to stop kissing her, touching her, fucking her and loving her.

"I love you," Faith whispered, the words tripping past her lips and falling upon Buffy's with ease. Buffy responded with a searing kiss that left Faith feeling dizzy and completely breathless.

She didn't expect Buffy to say it back and she knew she wouldn't. Not tonight, not tomorrow, but hopefully she would eventually. Love, Faith knew, was something Buffy didn't find or feel easily and saying the words meant something to her and she didn't just say those words to just anyone. Faith knew she was in love with Buffy, she had been for a long time and she felt it more and more, so much that the words were just bursting out of her without a second thought.

They clutched to one another as they both came together. With sweat slicked skin, Buffy collapsed on top of Faith, both breathing heavily as they just lay there together. Faith ran a hand up Buffy's back and gentled threaded her fingers through her hair. It wasn't long before she realized that Buffy had fallen asleep and she sighed softly, moving Buffy until she was laying comfortably on the bed beside her.

Faith watched her as she slept for a while, a million and one different thoughts in her head and not one she could grasp a hold on. It felt surreal and being with Buffy had been far better than she ever imagined it'd be. Just being with her once was more than enough to make her deliriously happy for the rest of her life.

* * *

The sunrise that morning was breathtaking and Faith sat on the roof, unable to wipe the smile from her face, nor could she forget that Buffy was still sound asleep in her bed either. The last couple of days had been a whirlwind and full of its ups and downs, yet despite it all, Faith wouldn't have had it turn out any differently. In fact, the only reason she hadn't fallen asleep was because she was afraid it wasn't real, that Buffy never did come to her door in the middle of the night and that they never did end up making love.

Was this the start of something new? After last night, did that mean that Buffy was with her and that she wouldn't come home from another failed date, heartbroken and still alone with Faith there to comfort her in the only way she knew how to? Faith wished she knew the answer to that.

Climbing back inside her room, Faith left the window open to let the warm, gentle breeze flow through. Buffy sat up in her bed, holding the sheet up to her chest as Faith stood unmoving from in front of the window.

"Morning," she said quietly as Buffy sat there not saying a word. "Uh, you want me to go make some coffee, B? We can skip training if you're not feeling up to it or whatever."

"Okay."

Faith breathed out heavily as she ran her fingers through her hair. She'd gotten dressed before she'd gone to sit out on the roof to watch the sunrise and she felt Buffy's eyes roaming over her body with a look on her face that Faith couldn't exactly read. Faith let out a dejected sigh as she walked over to the still locked door.

"Faith?" Buffy called out quietly.

"Yeah, B?"

"Did last night really happen?"

"Well, if it didn't, wouldn't you be asking why you woke up naked in my bed?" Faith chuckled as she watched Buffy's cheeks redden. "Yeah, it did," she said as she moved to walk back over to the bed. "Are you, you know, okay with that?"

Buffy nodded as she reached for Faith's hand and pulled her towards her. Faith laughed as she crawled on top of the bed and hovered over Buffy as she laid back. "More than okay with it," Buffy whispered. "So much in fact when I woke up I wanted to continue where we left off and I thought you completely bailed on me."

"Bailed on you? Not in this lifetime."

"Do you watch the sunrise every morning?"

"Yeah, just about," Faith nodded and she leaned in to kiss Buffy lightly. "You really wanted to go another round when you woke up?"

"Uh huh."

Faith felt like she'd ruined her chance at doing one thing she'd never done before, morning sex and she was going to fix that. Leaning back, Faith pulled her tank top up and over her head, groaning as Buffy's hands instantly cupped her breasts. She tossed her shirt to the floor and sat down on Buffy's lap as Buffy's lips wrapped around a hardening nipple. Buffy was definitely being more bolder and feeling far more confident than she had just hours before and Faith willingly let her take the lead, becoming completely submissive as Buffy flipped her on her back.

"Shouldn't have bothered to get dressed," Buffy whispered as she tugged at Faith's cotton shorts before pulling the drawstring roughly.

"Couldn't sit on the roof naked," Faith chuckled and she lifted her butt up as Buffy pulled her shorts down. "Didn't wanna give the neighbors a show or anything."

"No, we couldn't have that now, could we?" Buffy smirked and she tossed the shorts behind her and moved to lay fully on top of Faith. "Maybe after, we can talk about what's going on between the two of us?"

"Sure."

"And maybe after that, we can oh, I don't know, keep doing this all day. Keep the door locked and just…" Buffy trailed off as Faith pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss.

* * *

For hours they devoured each other, worshipped each other, explored and made love until they could barely breathe anymore. They slept most of the afternoon away and ignored the pounding fists on the door just before dinner. They talked and laughed and fucked and made love late into the night.

Faith was in heaven and beyond. After ten long years of waiting, of wishing she didn't feel the way she did about Buffy, of hiding her true feelings, she could finally be herself and that feeling was almost as good as the feeling she got as she laid in Buffy's arms.

"I can't believe we've been friends for ten years and all it took was one kiss to change everything," Buffy whispered, her soft breath flowing over Faith's chest. She lifted her head off of Faith's shoulder just to look into her eyes and smile. "Why didn't you ever tell me how you felt about me, Faith?"

"I was scared of losing ya, B. Scared that if you knew how I felt, we wouldn't be close anymore. You're one of my best friends and I don't ever want that to change."

"It won't," Buffy promised her. "It'll change into something better. It's already started to change. Can't you feel it?"

"I feel a whole lot of something," Faith chuckled as she pulled Buffy on top of her. "So, what happens tomorrow, B? We can't stay in here forever. We need to eat," she said and Buffy groaned softly. "And shower. And probably answer a whole lot of questions that without a doubt everyone is going to be asking us the second we walk out of this room."

"And what are we going to tell them?"

"What do you want to tell them, B?"

"Not to bother us if we're in your room or mine and the door is locked."

Laughing, Faith shook her head, her hands smoothly running up and down Buffy's back. "I'm serious, B. We'll have to tell them something and "we're sleeping together" isn't quite gonna get them to back off, you know?"

"How about we tell them exactly what this is," Buffy started as she traced a finger over Faith's bottom lip, "that this is new and that we're together?"

"Whatever you want, B."

"Are you already whipped?"

"You've had me whipped for ten years now. Surprised you hadn't figured that out yet," Faith chuckled and Buffy leaned down for a soft, lingering kiss.

"Ten years is a long time to wait for one person, isn't it?" Buffy asked and Faith shook her head no. "It's not? But—"

"It's been longer than that, but you know something? You're worth the wait."

"Are you trying to get into my pants? Because it's working."

Faith slipped her hands down to grab Buffy's bare ass. "You're not even wearing pants, B."

Laughing, they submersed themselves in the moment and each other, lost in their own little world where nothing else existed and nothing else mattered. Maybe ten years _was_ a long time to wait for Buffy, to wait to make a move, to wait to show her how much she loved her, but it didn't matter to Faith because in the end, she finally got everything she ever wanted.

The next ten years were going to be one hell of a ride, that was for sure.

THE END


End file.
